LEGENDARY COACH WILL INDUCT HALL OF FAME'S FIRST MEMBERS.Byline: Amy Raisin Darvish Staff Writer VALENCIA - When planning started for College of the Canyons' inaugural athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony, organizers said there was only one person that came to mind as keynote speaker: John Wooden. The coach who led UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX to 10 national basketball championships - including seven in a row - will speak tonight at the Valencia Hyatt as four people become the first honorees of the College of the Canyons' sports Hall of Fame. While Wooden has no official affiliation with College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. , his achievements as both a basketball player and coach made the invitation easy for organizers. ``When you have a name like John Wooden attached to an inaugural event it certainly adds a prestige to it,'' Bruce Battle, sports information director for the college, said. ``It really puts a magnificent tone to it.'' Wooden, the most successful coach in college basketball College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. History
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, will be on hand as three former College of the Canyons athletes and one former administrator are honored. The inductees are former basketball coach Lee Smelser, who guided the Cougars from 1969 through 2000; football player Clint McKinney, who played for the Cougars in 1971; Linda Chisholm, a Cougar cougar: see puma. cougar or puma or mountain lion or panther Species (Puma concolor) of large, graceful cat that lives in a wide variety of habitats in the Americas, from southern Alaska to Patagonia. volleyball player in 1976-77; and Chuck Rheinschmidt, a longtime COC See chip on chip. administrator who helped launched the school's athletic program. Despite playing only one year for the Cougars, McKinney smashed the national record in 1971 for yards rushing in a junior college game, running for 413 yards. Until that game, the record belonged to O.J. Simpson, who had rushed for 304 yards. After her two seasons with the Cougars, Chisholm went on to play volleyball at Pepperdine. She helped the U.S. volleyball team win a silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. in Los Angeles before turning pro. Tonight's event is sold out and is expected to draw about 375 people, Battle said. Amy Raisin Darvish, (661) 257-5254 amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com |
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